Sex offender jailed for six-year stalking campaign

A sex offender who used a fake woman’s Facebook profile to stalk his victim for six years has been jailed for more than four years.

Michael Davies carried out a sinister campaign of harassment against the woman he had previously sexually assaulted on a bus when she was just 17 years old. The 60-year-old spent two years in prison for that initial assault, but his obsession didn’t end there.

Following his release in 2019, Davies created a Facebook account under the name Rachel Phillips and began messaging his victim. His first message appeared innocent enough, wishing her a Happy New Year, but quickly took a darker turn when he asked: “Where are you? On a bus?” – a chilling reference to his previous crime.

For six years, Davies sent weekly messages to the woman, asking personal questions about her relationships and attempting to video call her. The harassment escalated in 2021 when he began targeting members of her family as well.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard how Davies’ messages became increasingly threatening. In 2022, when the victim told him to stop, he responded: “Why did you hurt her? You should be the one reported to the police for what you did to her.”

He sent disturbing threats saying he would take her to the woods, strip her naked, and cane her 50 times. He also claimed to be outside her home. In 2024, he messaged that he would “tie her to a tree and cane her” and, for the first time, gave her correct address – leaving her deeply disturbed.

Despite being blocked, Davies simply created new Facebook accounts to continue his campaign of terror. Then, on 19 September last year, he sent a message from an account in his own name, finally revealing his identity.

The message read: “Thank you for keeping the door open for me at the shops. I nearly lost my house because of you. I spent one year in prison because of you. When I got on the bus I was drunk on vodka. For revenge I need to cane your bottom with a stick. I’ll take you to the forest, strip your clothes off naked, tie your arms above your head, and cane your bottom 50 times.”

When police arrested Davies at his Pant Road home in Merthyr Tydfil, they found him sitting next to his computer with the Rachel Phillips Facebook account open, viewing the victim’s page. His response to officers? “It wasn’t serious – it was just a laugh.”

In her victim personal statement read to the court, the woman said: “I can still hear his voice to this day. Eleven years later I realise I’m yet again a victim because of Michael Davies. I still haven’t fully processed what happened to me. He stalked me for six years. Only in 2025 did I realise it was Michael all along. It caused my world to crash down. I am in complete shock and going through the motions to get over it. I’m scared to accept what happened as I’m scared it will wreck my life if I let it.

“He has done this to me for a large part of my life, known me and been obsessed with me since I was 17… To think he had some kind of sick sexual pleasure by saying those things online makes me feel dirty. I never thought it would be Michael… I have trouble sleeping and suffer nightmares… I’m wary of men, especially older men.”

Defence barrister Andrew Davies described the messages as “the ramblings of a drunken man” and referred to his client’s issues with mental health and “confused sexual background”.

Judge Jeremy Jenkins said Davies posed a “significant risk to members of the public of serious harm” when sentencing him.

Davies, who has three previous convictions for sexual assault, pleaded guilty to stalking and was sentenced to four years and four months imprisonment with an extended licence period of four years.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order, sex offender notification requirements, and a restraining order.